Opel Kadett Rallye 4x4 / Vauxhall Astra 4S Replica

[benzino]

nice

shame those N.Am ecotec engines don't bolt up to daewoo gearboxes

[ant0ny]

It would only take an adapter plate to do it. Very soon I will have an adapter from Eco to NIssan GTR box and a AutoCAD file that could be changed for any other box.

[ant0ny]

Alternator fitted now just waiting for parts from US for engine build.

[ant0ny]

Update:

Engine internals have been packed and left the US.

Parts:

LSJ forged Rods
Pistons, rings & pins (set) (3.470" bore)
Rod & main bearings (standard)
Head stud kit (nuts & washers incl.)
Head gasket (cometic)
Dual Valve springs
Titanium Retainers
Spring seats
Valve stem seals
Main bolts
Dual pass Intercooler end plate
Siemens 689 cc/min. Injectors

[ant0ny]

Update:

Parts have arrived from the US and Graham had another discussion with Ray Bates and has been decided to remove the counter weight balance shafts from the engine... 2 reasons.. 1: more HP but also 2: to reduce the stress on the cam chain.

Graham had purchased a Kit from the US for the Speedway engine he is also building alongside mine and Ray has told him not to use it as they have had a fail or 2 with the aftermarket kit... Graham has set about designing our own setup.

I think I need to sell a heap of stuff on ebay and raise some funds... the engine build is going way quicker than I can earn the money.

Anyone want a Lexmal Ram Induction inlet manifold and a uprated Oil Pump (steel gear and nylon relief valve) for C20XE?

[ant0ny]

I flew down to Melbourne last weekend and visited Ecotec Marine where my engine sits waiting for the build.

Had a long discussion about the build and looked at the expected outcomes and any performance gains we could achieve in house without spending a fortune.

The HP limitations on what we now have ready for assembly is as high as 400BHP. From discussions with Ray Bates in the US the LSJ rods are good for 400+ HP same as the standard crank. The standard head is where we would fall short according to Ray at about 400+ HP we will hit a wall as the head will not flow anymore without major work.

To take the engine to and beyond 500HP we would need to change the Rods and flow the head and then look at the crank and cams to go beyond that.

So in house mods we will do to make sure we at least hit the max head flow we have decided to do the small things that add up.

1st thing is a mod to remove the 2 Counter Weight Balance Shafts that run off the timing chain and crank... this alone will give us a help to push 400HP.

2nd full balance of the engine.

3rd full casting debur of the block and acid bath to improve oil flow.

4th Aluminum Billet Flywheel (standard weighs 14kgs).

5th Dual Pass Intercooler Endplate. This mod ensures the inbuilt intercooler temps are maximized for performance. (I'll do write up on this as it is a trick bit of engineering)



Here you can see the 2 holes where the Counter Weight Shafts run.



The bottom end is cradled by the complete bottom of the block... which is different to a normal added on Crank Cradle you see.



My new aim is now to try to achieve 300+HP at the wheels and weight under 1000kgs.

[ant0ny]

Laminova Intercooler Inlet Manifold


Laminova heat exchangers are especially designed for intercoolers in turbo and supercharged petrol and diesel engines. The heat exchangers are compact, easy to install and more efficient than conventional coolers.

Laminova heat exchanger systems have a unique designed core for intercooler applications. The air-to-liquid system gives increased efficiency compared to an
air-to-air system. With the air-to-liquid system you will get cold air right from the start.



Benefits

* Superior cooling performance
* Extremely low pressure drop
* Ideal to integrate in the inlet manifold
* Increased response due to short flow length in the system
* Robust design. One-piece aluminium extrusion
* No soldering or braising - soft mounting with O-rings
* Reduced noise and pulsation. Improved airdistribution balance



The high performance, compared to that of the common plate style intercoolers, is a result of the extremely large surface area and the unique flow pattern. Laminova core design gives an extremely low pressure drop on the charged air side.

With intercooler cores installed, you achieve better torque, response and performance
compared to those of conventional coolers. The coolers effectively increase engine efficiency and decrease fuel consumption.

The air-to-liquid intercooler system needs a separate cooling circuit with a circulation pump and a separate radiator. Laminova also supplies intercooler housings for use in racing/aftermarket applications and as prototypes for test and evaluation.

[ant0ny]

Update

The engine has had all the machining done. The block has been debured and any rough casting removed from the block internals and assembly will be happening very soon.

Only change to the configuration was we opted not to run the Aluminum Flywheel.

After much discussion with a few people I have decided to modify the standard Cast Iron Flywheel and keep some of the inertia weight to help with the sort of motor sport I would be doing. Plus I will be running a standard gear ratio in the GTR Skyline box and the weight will help with gear changes keeping the engine speed between shifting. Thinking is it will be more exaggerated as the engine being supercharged will produce it's max HP and Torque at about 6000rpm so if the flywheel is too light it will fall off the max power curve too quickly.

[ant0ny]

Update:

Engine ran today fired up first go and is running perfectly.

Now it is running a bypass vacuum setup on the supercharger can be made to make it idle and adjusted so. I'll get some more pics and I am trying to get a short movie of it running on the engine test bench.

[benzino]

great to hear mate

I'll be excited to see this finished

[ant0ny]

I have picked the engine from the builder this week. It was a big 4000km drive to get it but boy was it a relief to finally have it sitting in my shed ready for the next part of the build.

Here is a peek of the engine running before loading into the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgltk5DEfg

Antony

[ant0ny]

Here is a animation showing the internals of the Laminova Inlet Manifold working with a supercharger. This is the same setup as I am running except this is the 2.0l Eco with a M62 supercharger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14MaYSMPc1c

[huskyelena]

Hey there..!!
I have been following your post since last six months and I must say I found so many useful information related to this..!!
Thank you for sharing this with us..!!

[ant0ny]

Thanks... this project is not dead just on hold as I rebuild a customer car a Vauxhall Astra GTE with C20LET this is aback to bare metal retoration and upgrate suspension and F28 6speed etc.

I hope to restart the 4S build by the end of the year.

FYI I fixed a few of the dead links.